Leading Scottish Edtech arrives in London, launching at two central locations through a new franchise

Youngsters in London will now be able to learn Mental Mathematics derived from the ancient calculation technique of Abacus Maths.

Serial entrepreneur and Director of Nova Training College, Bharat Bageja, who has joined Glasgow-headquartered British Youth International College (BYITC) as a franchisee, will incorporate the new subject through his established northwest London centre at Queensbury and plans to add another at Hughenden Gardens in Northolt. There is a free-to-attend Open Day on Saturday 3rd February, 3-4pm at the Nova Training College for anyone interested in the variety of courses on offer.

He said: “BYITC’s Abacus Maths incorporates game-based learning methods which empower children to enhance their maths computations and to visualize solutions more rapidly than by calculator.

“I am confident that its cutting-edge applications and teaching techniques, which have already had a hugely positive impact on thousands of children worldwide, will benefit local youngsters in our area, not least by providing them with a powerful blend of knowledge and fun.

“I have been inspired by BYITC’s success stories globally and believe strongly in its innovative applications and teaching techniques.”

The Abacus Maths method teaches students how to calculate complex sums first with an actual abacus board, and then through visualisation.

As well as offering BYITC’s popular Supermaths programme, Bharat will also be providing its English Programme to help hone students’ language skills. Designed by Cambridge University experts, the English courses prioritise fundamental language skills and cater to the needs of children aged 5 to 15.

Edtech (education technology) business BYITC began in 2015 when its founder, Dr Rashmi Mantri, taught her son, Dhruv, who was struggling with basic arithmetic, how to use the abacus. Spotting a gap in the market, the software engineer-turned entrepreneur started her business which has since grown organically and has taught thousands of students globally.

She said: “We are committed to developing and teaching the next generation of STEM superstars and we know from experience what works when delivering lessons, so it is fantastic that Bharat has become our first London-based franchisee.

“It’s particularly gratifying as our hard work building this model ourselves is paying off. For example, our Dubai franchisee has been so successful that he has just launched our coding classes in the UAE. We ambitious growth plans and are currently in discussions with potential franchisees in North America and elsewhere, as well as throughout England.”